The Bloody Sunday families have called for proper trauma counselling to help them through publication of the long-awaited Saville Report.
Lord Saville's findings into the shootings by the British Army in Derry were made available to British government lawyers yesterday.
They are to check the contents of the dossier for any material which could pose a threat to life or national security ahead of publication.
13 people died after paratroopers opened fire during a civil rights march in January 1972. Another person later died of their injuries.
A spokesman for the families, Mickey McKinney, said it was totally unacceptable for Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward to indicate that only one representative of each family will be allowed prior access to the Inquiry Report before it is released publicly.
They felt such an arrangement would place too much pressure on one person, who would then have the harrowing task of relaying Saville's findings to the rest of their family.
He said the release of the Saville Report will undoubtedly increase levels of stress, fear and anxiety for the families of those killed and wounded on Bloody Sunday, as well as for the many people of Derry who witnessed the events that day.
There should be access for all family members wishing to be involved in the pre-read, he said, adding that the British government needs to go back to the drawing board with this idea.
Mr McKinney also said they found it unbelievable that the Mr Woodward does not understand the level of sensitivity involved in this entire process.
‘Trauma and distress are a natural, emotional response to a horrific event, which Bloody Sunday clearly was, and plans need to be put in place to channel these emotions properly,’ Mr McKinney said.
‘The Secretary of State should also be fully aware that there are long-term reactions to stress and trauma that include flashbacks, unpredictable emotions and deeply rooted feelings that can even manifest in physical symptoms such as headaches and nausea.’
He said it was essential that proper trauma counselling support was in place to help families cope in coming weeks and months.
‘Families will undoubtedly struggle with the stress and trauma that has now been reawakened due to the media intrusion and interest now being generated by the political posturing and manipulation surrounding release of Saville Report.
‘The families of Bloody Sunday are the victims in this, as are all those wounded on Bloody Sunday and the wider population of Derry who remain traumatised to this day,’ he said.
